Miami Heat Could Target Colorado's Tristan da Silva for Polish, Versatility at No. 15 in NBA Draft

Zach Buckley | Jun 21, 2024

Colorado Buffaloes forward Tristan da Silva (23) dunks the ball over Florida Gators forward Alex Condon (21) on Friday, March 22, 2024, during the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Colorado Buffaloes defeated the Florida Gators 102-100. / Joe Timmerman/IndyStar / USA TODAY

The upcoming 2024 NBA draft features a ton of interesting, long-term-project types of unpolished prospects.

The Miami Heat might seek out more of a plug-and-play contributor with the No. 15 pick. And as they just learned from last year's No. 18 pick, All-Rookie first-teamer Jaime Jaquez Jr., selecting an NBA-ready prospect doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing upside.

The Heat could have similar luck with Colorado swingman Tristan da Silva, who already looks like a big-league glue-guy and still has room to grow his game.

The knocks on da Silva follow the same criticisms you've heard before with upperclassmen: He is 23 years old already and isn't a jaw-dropping athlete. The positives, though, are almost too numerous to mention.

The 6-foot-8 forward, whom Sarah Todd of the Deseret News wrote "has Jaime Jaquez Jr. written all over him," boasts a do-it-all skillset that could make da Silva perfect in a two-way connective role. He shreds nets from distance. He finishes with soft touch around the basket. He creates for himself and his teammates off the dribble. He defends with competitiveness and can handle switching assignments.

He maybe isn't a future star-in-the-making, but Miami doesn't necessarily need to chase a sky-high ceiling here. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are already stars. Tyler Herro routinely posts star-level stat lines. Supporting this trio could be much more of a priority than chasing long-shot potential.

If da Silva is still on the board at No. 15, the Heat could have a hard time passing him up.

Zach Buckley works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at zbuck07@gmail.com or follow him on X @ZachBuckleyNBA.

Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook HERE

Subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE